The Land Unknown
by anonymouseling
Summary: My first reader insert story published here on ! But just imagine; you as a young mermaid meeting the one and only Haruka Nanase. How will the water-fanatic swim team member react to meeting a real mermaid? Will you be scared off by the thought of getting involved with a human? I'm sorry - I have no idea how to sum this up.


_Hello there readers! If you aren't one for reading author's notes you can just skip right over this. I won't be offended...much. But ANYWAY, here is one of many reader inserts I've done - but interestingly enough the first Free! thing I've ever made haha! I know I'm not the best at writing, but hopefully someone could read this and maybe give some advice? Currently only the Prologue is posted because this is kind of an experiment, so if I get a good response I might get my butt in gear and start writing it once again. Oh! Important stuff! If you're new to reader inserts, then this will come in handy._

__ = Instead of reading a blank spot, insert your name in your head! After a while, you get kinda used to it (I know I certainly have eheh)._

_- = Whatever is suitable at the time. For example, if you see "-" continue to read because that will indicate what you need to think off. For example, later on (like the second paragraph) I have written "behind you - coloured tail" in which case you think of a colour you would like it to be and imagine that. I am aware that this isn't a common practice for many reader insert writers (and to be honest I only just came up with it on the spot) but it give you, the reader, a bit more freedom in imagining the surroundings and things to do with yourself. _

_And this may or may not appear later on, buuuut if they do: _

_Thoughts_

Normal speech and actions

_**Sudden things that happen i.e. maybe a loud noise.**_

_Okay then~! Now on with the shortness that is less than 1,000 words! I apologise! But to make up for it, there won't be another author's note at the end!_

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_Published: 4th March 2014_

Mermaid!Reader x Haruka Nanase  
_Prologue_

It was a crisp blue day down in the ocean floor. The octopi were scuttling around, small shoals of fish swimming up above, jellyfish floating along, and the sounds of Mermaid's preparing for batt- I mean sea shell hunting. Mermaids swam by the hole in your cave, grinning and throwing rocks at each other playfully, off for another day of shell hunting and fish caring. Sounds like so much fun! Sucks to be them, you plan on skipping.

You happily grinned to yourself after you swam right out of your cave, sneaking away from your mother and sisters. You cackled to yourself as you looked back at the cave behind your - coloured tail.

After swimming a while, you found the sea floor was rising. You stopped moving forward and rose directly upwards, taking a refreshing breath of fresh air. It wasn't like you needed the air. It was just refreshing you know.

The sight before you was a few humans laying on the beach, children were playing in the shore, and teenager humans were playing a ball game on the beach. You smiled and lay upon the large rock that was a large distance away from the humans and near a small cove. You sighed and watched the humans for the next five hours. Though your interest peaked when you saw a single group of humans arrive.

A small group of three, but one of them was already stripped down for swimming. You never understood why humans wore something called "clothing" only to take it off to swim. But that was one of the reasons you loved them.

This particular human had his clothes off and was diving in without a second of hesitation. He then turned on his back, and floated further into the ocean. He looked so serene and happy. It was like a dolphin finally free from the attacking shark. You watched this human carefully, you could tell straight away that in his past life he was a merman.

"Haru-chan, wait up!" a smaller human's voice came from the blonde who accompanied the past merman. He was laughing and was now also stripped down as well, running into the water and swimming towards the human he named "Haru-chan", the two were pretty close to you. You dived off the rock, and only had your arms and head visible from where they swam. Just in case they were to look over, they wouldn't see your tail.

After you had finished hiding your tail, you found that the last human was with them, he watched over them with a motherly smile. He reminded you of an orca with her young.  
You watched them carefully for a while, you watched until sunset and the Orca-like human - whose name you learnt was Makoto or "Mako-chan" - suggested they go back. Haruka - the past merman - visibly deflated at the mention of leaving. You wanted to pat him better and say he could stay here, that he didn't need to leave if he wanted to stay. But you heard the younger one agree and mention something called "school". Your eyebrows knitted together in confusion, wasn't a large group of fish called a school? What are these humans doing going to a school of fish tomorrow?

The three left a few minutes later, and you got back up on the rock and watched them leave. You longed to follow them and learn more about humans, their habits, ways, culture and everything to do with them. You sighed with longing.

"_! What are you doing?!" an angry voice asked from behind you, you jumped in shock, slipping off your rock with a squeak. "Urghh. Freakin hell, _!"

"Octiana!" you moaned at your sister. You quickly looked back towards where your favourite humans were but they had disappeared.

"You were watching the humans again, weren't you?" she said, folding her arms. "You know mother forbids it."

You looked down at your hand guiltily. "I know...But! They're just so interesting! I watched some humans buy something called an 'ice cream', it gave them something called a 'brain freeze'. And these three humans who just left were talking about going to somewhere called a 'school'. Maybe they were going to visit a school of fish..."

"_! Stop talking about them like they're not harmless! You know what happened to Alania!" Octiana looked scared and frightened of them with every word you talked about them. Of course you remembered Alania. She was Octiana's girlfrond, she had a huge love of fish. And a school of fish got caught in a human's trap...well when she tried to help the fish, she got caught herself, and the humans took her away. Our shoal had to attack the vessel and kill all the humans before they got back to land. By the time that we had she had been visiously ripped apart and dehydrated by their treatment. Octiana was devastated for weeks, and from then on Mother banned any of the shoal from going anywhere near the humans or their traps for any reason.

"I know...I stay away from the vessels they ride! I just watch the humans by the shore! I never get close enough to them for harm. And I'm always careful!" You quickly defended yourself. You wanted to keep Octiana happy, but at the same time...you just couldn't stay away from them.

Octiana sighed. "Look. Can we just go back to the shoal? I'll..." she sighed. "I'll cover for you. But you can't come up here again. For at least a month. Okay? Remember if mother finds out, she will clip your fins."

You winced before puffing out your cheeks, and grumbled. "Fine..."

"Alright then. Let's go." she said, diving back into the water, her light blue fins splashing up in the air. You took one last look at the shore before diving in after her.

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Next time: A trip to see the humans gone bad? A peek into the lives of the mermaids? A new friend?

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_Okay, so I lied there's a little author's note! Everything about the mermaids in this, will be of my own creation and little fantasy ideas. So if anything is confusing or weirdly worded I apologise! That is just me and my knowledge of their culture, I usually skip over important bits because I forgot that no one shares my view on these people's culture. _

_BUT I hope you all have a wonderful day, sweet dreams and a happy tomorrow. I thank you all deeply for reading, and I hope to see you next chapter.  
-Danni x_


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